Modern wireless communication networks have existed in some form for decades. Every so often, new technology and regulatory or commercial developments provide an impetus for progress in the wireless communication field. The earliest commercial (“first generation” or “1G”) cellular systems used analog voice channels and digital controls, and had very limited data communication capabilities. These were replaced by “second generation” or “2G” systems that used digital radio channels for both voice and control. In addition, “third generation (3G)” communication systems, including CDMA-2000 systems and Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) systems, have become available.
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) is one common form of digital communication. CDMA-2000, which is a registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association, is standardized by the 3G Partnership Project-2 (3GPP2). UMTS is a competing 3G technology standardized by the 3G Partnership Project (3GPP). UMTS is a successor to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and utilizes the Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) air interface standard and GSM infrastructures. Technologies such as CDMA-2000 and UMTS combine multiple radio channel communication with advanced data packet transmission protocols to provide high-speed data services as well as voice services over existing networks.
In a communication network based on CDMA-2000, UMTS, or other standards, a communication session (or flow) can be created, updated, and/or deleted by signaling various equipments or devices within the communication network. The signaling may include, for example, the exchange of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages, and/or policy information exchanges or updates. An Access Gateway (AGW) system, which interfaces with one or more RANs and one or more PDNs, typically participates in the signaling process. Although a signaling process is necessary for establishing communication sessions, it also takes time and consumes resources. Because of the significant increase of wireless telephone use and the use of other wireless applications, it is desirable to reduce the signaling when a communication session is created, updated, and/or deleted. Embodiments of the present invention are directed to this and other important objectives.